Compilation of Research and Resource Links

This thread is intended to be a place to post links to scientific findings, serious books and websites, and verifiable resources on the following topics:

• Semen retention (including abstinence, continence, and avoidance of masturbation, ejaculation in sex, and orgasm in general)
• Karezza (non-ejaculatory and non-orgasmic sexual bonding with a partner)
• Meditation and Lucid Dreaming (only links which relate these practices to sexual transmutation or discuss them as alternatives to PMO or in context of sexuality)

This is my first post outside of my journal. Please be respectful and stick to the purpose of this thread. Please avoid replies, commentary, and chit chat on this thread--as well as personal or anecdotal experiences. Help keep this thread useful and easy to read by only posting serious and relevant links along with topic descriptions and keywords to make them easier to search for. See my example in the next post to this thread. Thanks for helping me on my journey, everyone!

 

TOPIC: Neurochemical effects of PMO (laying some groundwork)

Pharmacological and physiological aspects of sexual exhaustion in male rats
Neurochemicals appear to be at the root of most research I can find on these topics. Sexual Satiety is one of the core concepts of the karezza theory behind why orgasms harm happiness and relationships long term. This study delves into the chemistry behind satiety.

Relationship between sexual satiety and brain androgen receptors
Further research on sexual satiety, delving a little deeper into the neurochemical ARd in specific brain areas and male sexual behavior.

Sexual experience affects reproductive behavior and preoptic androgen receptors in male mice
Further reseach indicating that sexual experience results in a qualitative change in male reproductive behavior, investigating testorone effects in particular.

Growth hormone, prolactin, and sexuality
Further reseach highlighting neurochemicals not as typically associated with sexuality.

Getting his act together: roles of glutamate, nitric oxide, and dopamine in the medial preoptic area
Further information about a particularly addictive neurochemical (dopamine) and its role in sexual responsiveness.

Endocrine, neural and pharmacological aspects of sexual satiety in male rats
May seem repetitive, but the point is that there are many studies like this out there, investigating the intersection of neurochemicals and sexuality. You can find many of them by looking at "related articles" on pubmed.

For a thorugh and accessible synthesis of this type of research, I recommend this book:
Cupid's Poisoned Arrow: From Habit to Harmony in Sexual Relationships

Please REPLY to this post with your neurochemical-related links.

UPDATE 2-11-2022:

How Porn Can Harm Consumers’ Sex Lives
I'm not sure where else to put this, since it doesn't specifically apply to masturbation, semen retention, or neurochemical effects. I just found it to be a faboulously well written, insightful, and well researched article with a rich list of citations.

I especially appreciated the thoughtful conclusion, including these remarks:

The kind of “intimacy” porn offers is nothing more than empty sexual stimulation, while real intimacy offers so much more. Real connection is a world of satisfaction and excitement that doesn’t disappear when the screen goes off. It’s the breathtaking risk of being vulnerable with another human being.

It’s inviting them not just into your bed, but into your heart and life. Real intimacy is about what we give, not just what we get. It’s other-centered, not self-centered.​

Intimacy is understanding someone at a level porn never attempts, and having the life-altering experience of having them listen—really listen—to you in return. It’s seeing yourself through other eyes, and caring about others as much as you care about yourself.​

I believe that these same principles and insights can apply to masturbation, erotic fantasy, and "hungry touch" orgasm-driven sex. We can be so much more than raging bags of neurochemicals!

Similar Articles that also discuss neuroscience, bonding, attachment, and the potential harm of pornography use:

• https://fightthenewdrug.org/how-porn-can-negatively-impact-love-and-intimacy/
• https://fightthenewdrug.org/how-porn-can-change-the-brain/
• https://fightthenewdrug.org/porn-is-taking-away-mens-ability-to-have-actual-sex/
• https://fightthenewdrug.org/fmri-brain-study-problematic-porn-similar-to-drug-and-gambling-addiction/

 

TOPIC: Semen Retention and Masturbation Abstinence

The semen retention topic seems to be grounded in mostly unscientfic science (old research that was not peer reviewed), mysticism (claims that have not been tested scientifically but are based in "ancient wisdom" and cultural or religious traditions), and anecdotal expeirence. For example, I have seen this link posted more than once in these forums as if it were quality research (though I don't think it truly is):
Science Discovers the Physiological Value of Continence
Notice the 1957 date and the lack of quality supporting references. However, this appears to be a fairly comprehensive introduction to the general concepts held by many semen retention advocates. So I found it useful for my own research.

Anyone have anything else? I couldn't find any medical journal directly related to "semen retention" specifically.

I did find two articles in journals that specifically references masturbation abstinence as promoted by nofap members:
Abstinence from Masturbation and Hypersexuality
Men’s Reasons to Abstain from Masturbation May Not Reflect the Conviction of “reboot” Websites

From there, you can find quite a few articles about the effects of abstaining from M. For example:

Is Ejaculation Frequency in Men Related to General and Mental Health? Looking Back and Looking Forward
This is a great introduction to the research on the topic because it is a review of the current scientific literature as of August 2021.

Endocrine response to masturbation-induced orgasm in healthy men following a 3-week sexual abstinence
Key finding: acute abstinence does not change the neuroendocrine response to orgasm but does produce elevated levels of testosterone in males. That matches up with the positive effects reported by many threads in these forums.

Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands: Abstinence from Pornography, Masturbation, and Orgasm on the Internet
I would like to read this article but don't have access to it without a subscription to pubmed insititutional. Sounds interesting and probably references these forums.

I'm out of time but will continue to slowly add to this thread over time. Feel free to contribute links!

 

TOPIC: Potential Negative Effects of Masturbation

I read a 2010 literature review in the Journal of Sexual Medicine that reached a number of clear conclusions about the potential negative effects of masturbation. I thought that this article did an excellent job compiling and analyzing the results of many prior scientific studies and then summarizing these results as they related to their topic--particularly the "Psychological and psychophysiological health aspects of different sexual behaviors." Here is the link straight to the PDF study. I will share my key takeaways below, and use this article as a springboard to continue adding more takeaways to this thread.

Before I dissect the article's conclusions, I want to point out two things: First, this study specifically compared PVI (Penile Vaginal Intercourse, including whether impaired or not and how frequent) to other sexual behaviors (anal sex, oral sex, and masturbation). Orgasm was always assumed to be part of or the goal of any sexual behavior. I cross referenced all of the studies reviewed in this article and found that same bias present to one degree or another across the board. Non-orgasmic sexual behaviors were only mentioned in passing in a single study. Everything I find as I research this subject seems to indicate that our medical and social framework is hyper-focused on orgasm as the golden chalice of all sexual activity. Second, I noticed that this study has been cited hundreds of times, but many of the subsequent articles ignore the findings and only use this as an example of the "unusual" view of masturbation as less healthy or beneficial. The majority of literature reviews promote the "typical" stance that masturbation is normal, healthy, and even beneficial from a medical, psychological, and developmental perspective--despite the actual scientific studies being referenced not supporting that conclusion. That is what I am seeing at least. I'm not a PhD, scientific researcher, or statistician, but I am well educated and not biased by money or institutions. Proving that masturbation was highly beneficial could actually make my life a lot easier. My personal experience led me to question the "science" I had been using to justify periodic masturbation as a "healthy release" to my wife and myself, and now I'm trying to follow the real science with as open a mind as possible.

So here is what this article concludes (based mostly on correlational studies) about the potential effects of Higher frequencies of masturbation:

• Correlated to reduced satisfaction with one's mental health and overall happiness.
• Correlated to reduced relationship satisfaction including less perception of love.
• Correlated to increased use of immature psychological defense mechanisms.
  
• Correlated to increased depression scores and a higher likelihood of lifetime major depressive disorder.
  
• Correlated negatively to improvements in erectile dysfunction and vaginal sensation experienced from PVI (unimpeded PVI improved both unless masturbation were also occurring in respondents).
  
• Correlated negatively to a slimmer waistline (PVI frequency was positively correlated to a slimmer build, and masturbation counteracted or redcued that benefit as a variable).
• Correlated to reduced sperm quality.
• Less effective in comparitive and experimental studies than PVI in providing exercise value, improving sperm volume and quality, increasing prolactin, and reducing prostate cancer risk (masturbation was a negative factor in the latter).

One of the most important assertions of the authors was this: "Despite the scientific and clinical importance of being specific regarding the differences between specific sexual behaviors, some of the most commonly used research and clinical measures of sexual function explicitly obscure the differences between various sexual behaviors, thereby limiting their utility and ability to help patients and scientific inquiry." Their findings were clear enough to them to also assert that professionals should "not assume that behavioral treatment of sexual dysfunction must involve masturbation as part of the process."

Finally I will quote the main conclusion of this article, with the disclaimer that non-orgasmic PVI was not available as a comparison in any of the studies they reviewed. "Based upon a broad range of methods, samples, and measures, the research findings are remarkably consistent in demonstrating that one sexual activity (PVI and the orgasmic response to it) is associated with, and in some cases, causes processes associated with better psychological and physical functioning. Other sexual behaviors (including when PVI is impaired, as with condoms or distraction away from the penile–vaginal sensations) are unassociated, or in some cases (such as masturbation and anal intercourse) inversely associated with better psychological and physical functioning."

For me, this study did a lot to convince me that there is research out there supporting abstinence from masturbation as MORE healthy than frequent masturbation, as well as leaving the door wide open to the claims of karezza's benefits (which usually emphasize PVI without orgasm and encourage the avoiding of ejaculation or orgasm through masturbation).

Topic Update February 6, 2022:
I would love to read the full text of this study, but the key finding was that "masturbation is negatively associated with relational happiness for men and women," which ties into the topic of this post.

In asking myself why this is, I was reminded of the statement made to me by a professional marriage therapist that pornography and masturbation can dull empathy and desensitize us to the feelings of other people. I've been looking for the scientific research to back this claim up, though I personally believe it without having to read any studies thanks to personal experience FEELING the difference. When I am free of porn and fapping, it is much easier for me not only to feel empathy towards, others, but to WANT to connect with them in the first place. But in the spirit of gathering evidence and scientific seeking, here are a couple of studies to start building a case for the empathic benefits of NoFap.

Alterations in oxytocin and vasopressin in men with problematic pornography use: The role of empathy

This article approaches empathy from a mostly neurobiologcal standpoint. The key related findings: "Decreased empathic tendencies were found in men with PPU [Problematic Pornography Use], and this reduced empathy mediated links between oxytocin and pornography-related hypersexuality." The study concluded that there are neurobiological mechanisms reducing empathy and health attachments in pornography-related hypersexuality (including compulsive masturbatory porn use).


Effects of long-term exposure to violent and sexually degrading depictions of women

I don't have access to the full article, so I am going from the abstract only, which found that subject shown violent "Slasher" films were "less sympathetic to the victim and less empathetic toward rape victims in general" in a mock rape trial. However, this study did not find the same results when subjects were shown nonviolent R-rated teen sex films or X-rated porn films, so there wasn't much gleaned from this one.

Empathy doesn't seem to be a very fruitful search term in the studies, so maybe I will try Attachment when I have time to do more research.


Update February 13, 2022:
Thanks to @Icewarrior for this link:
Postcoital Neurochemistry: The Blues and the Highs

 

I am updating this post by editing previously posted topics, and have added some studies and thoughts today. I am trying to do a little bit of research every week, and post every week or two when I can. Any one who would like to help find more research, reply to this post and I'll add to the topics where applicable. Thanks!

 

Thank you @Dave G 123! Yes, I am reasonably familiar with Gary Wilson and you reminded me that I had wanted to post this link to his research resources on this thread. Although I have never had a compulsive porn addiction or considered porn use my primary sexual and relationship issue, I appreciate the reminder that most NoFap users have struggled with it to one degree or another (myself included), and all these topics are interrelated enough to be relevant to each other.

TOPIC: COMPREHENSIVE LINKS TO PORN ADDICTION RESEARCH

Your Brain on Porn: Relevant Research
This is one of the best and most comprehensive links to scientific studies and resources related to pornography as an addictive, compulsive, negative behavior. Although there is no specific mention or focus on masturbation, orgasm/semen retention, or the other emphasized areas of my own research and personal experiments, much of this content dovetails nicely with the neurological and neurochemical foundations of the principles of a PMO reboot. I couldn't improve on this page if I tried. I would love it if a page like this existed for Masturbation someday (maybe we will help contribute to that), and another for those wishing to practice orgasm rentention, semen retention, or whatever you want to call a life without ejaculatory behaviors.